5 Insane Death Metal Drummers

In the past we’ve tackled Black Metal, Thrash Metal and Grindcore here at Metal Injection’s prestigious, 5 Insane _____ Metal Drummers; but now the time has come to bite the bullet and compile the list we all knew was coming. This is the genre that made extreme drumming an international sport.

These ridiculous BPMs help you drive faster on the road, and sweat harder at the gym. They may sound like possessed typewriters, but these cybernetic timekeepers are in fact, real human beings. Metal fiends, drum nerds, regular people who Googled their way over here, Metal Injection proudly presents: 5 Insane Death Metal Drummers.

Samus

Drummer. YouTube sensation. Fart conductor. Samus Paulicelli is one of the sickest, and most entertaining drummers on the planet…and cyberspace. When he’s not shredding the drums for Decrepit Birth, Sammus has carved out a hilariously rad niche for himself in the YouTube wilderness. His channel is loaded with tons of drum/music content; from multi-angle play through vids, cover songs, behind the scenes footage and yeah, lots of farts and fart variations. It’s amazing that someone this talented behind the kit, is so talented behind, and in front of the camera as well. Watch Samus teach a succinct history of blast beats below:

Alan Cassidy

Alan Cassidy has been holding down the drums in The Black Dahlia Murder for six years now. The latest in a ‘holy shit’ line of BDM drum throne warriors, Cassidy has carved out a speedy/brutal name for himself since his stunning debut with the band on 2013’s Everblack. Earlier this year Cassidy also wrecked drumheads for the extreme, slug metal fetish band, Slugdge, adding some proggy flair to his blast heavy resume. Speaking of blast heavy, you see the video above? It's Cassidy jamming to an old, unreleased music project and it fucking RIPS. Now watch him murdering a new BDM jam below:

Ken Bedene

Is there a more relaxed blaster beater out there? Probably not. Mr. Bedene has been slaying the drums with Aborted since 2010, joining the death metal juggernaut at the ripe ol’ age of 20. Throughout the last decade, Bedene’s exceptional double bass salvos, insanely chill blast beat technique, and those iconic glasses of his, have become staples in the extreme drumming netherworld. Aborted’s new album TerrorVision, drops soon; which means we can expect to see a lot of Ken Bedene’s insane drumming on the road in the near future. Until then, enjoy this clip of him ripping shit up in the studio.

John Longstreth

The mad scientist/drum god himself, John Longstreth is the diabolical mathematician behind the insane bpms/drum patterns in Origin and Dim Mak. He also used to shred in Angelcorpse, Skinless and a little band called Gorguts. John’s innovative playing has literally revolutionized metal drumming. In the early 2000’s Longstreth helped popularize the gravity blast [aka the one handed drum roll] amongst speed freak drum fiends everywhere. Some years later, he ditched his unique extended leg, heel down foot technique and went on to pioneer a light speed double stroke method that has helped pushed metal drumming into warps speeds never before imaginable. John Longstreth plays fast, hits hard, and is creative as hell. If there’s ever been an insane metal drummer; it’s this guy.